What is EAP?

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is suitable for people with a wide range of needs and goals, from gaining more understanding of self, to improving relationships, managing life's stresses and becoming happier and more fulfilled. It is an alternative to room based therapy. Practitioners work alongside horses to create a rich, nurturing and sensory learning environment in nature. The presence of horses brings extra dimensions to the experience. Horses can provide support and regulation, as well as unique perspectives.

 

Our approach is gentle and trauma informed, and is based around awareness and here and now experience. Horses support learning by modelling authenticity, using their feelings as information, expressing emotions and boundaries, and letting go, returning to regulation.

 

Horses provide a unique opportunity to explore patterns in relationships. They are social animals with a strong desire to connect and communicate, and they are highly attuned to subtle signals given by those around them. They respond instantly, authentically and without judgement to emotions and behaviours, allowing humans to gain honest and insightful feedback about how we are in relationships. This enables us to explore themes such as trust, boundaries, sense of self, vulnerability, and attachment.

 

Horses support us to learn about ourselves. In gaining deeper awareness of who we truly are, and our patterns of behaviour, we gain a greater insight into our own rich uniqueness, and begin to notice which patterns are no longer serving us well. In this way, our authentic self is given space to grow and flourish.

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Please note: CCEAP does not offer horse riding.